License plate leads Taunton Police to hit-and-run suspect

Police had more than enough evidence Wednesday night to track down an East Taunton man, suspected of crashing his SUV into a brick-and-stone wall on Richmond Street.

Charles Winokoor

Police had more than enough evidence Wednesday night to track down an East Taunton man, suspected of crashing his SUV into a brick-and-stone wall on Richmond Street.

Police at 10:15 p.m. were called to investigate a claim by a homeowner that a vehicle crashed into the wall in front of her 78 Richmond St. house, and the driver fled the scene.
Debris, including stones and bricks, was strewn in the roadway causing a potential threat to passing traffic, police said.

More helpful among the wreckage in terms of identification was a Massachusetts registration plate, a Nissan plastic grill part and Nissan emblem that were left behind.

Police ran a computer check of the license plate number. The owner of record of the 2006 Nissan Xterra came back as 38-year-old David H. Clancy of 60 Turner St.

When police got to the Turner Street residence they observed a grey Xterra in the driveway missing a front plate and with heavy front-end damage

Clancy allegedly admitted he had been driving the SUV and been involved in a collision.
But when asked why he didn’t contact either the property owner or police, Clancy reportedly said he was unsure what he had hit and didn’t know who owned the property.
He also said he was not aware that debris ended up in the street and could pose a threat to other drivers.

Police said they asked Clancy several times if he was hurt but that he refused medical attention.
Clancy was issued a summons for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in property damage.

Police said they returned his missing front license plate to him after photographing it. They also took photos of the damaged wall as evidence.